Reebok and athletes cut tie with CrossFit on founder Greg Glassman's George Floyd tweet
Reebok and athletes cut tie with CrossFit on founder Greg Glassman's George Floyd tweet. Brands cut ties over CrossFit CEO's George Floyd tweet
Reebok has led the charge to cut ties between brands and athletes with fitness firm CrossFit, with founder and CEO Greg Glassman controversially responding to a tweet about the racist public health issue of "It's Floyd-19" Has tweeted.
In reply to a public health body saying racism was a public health issue, Greg Glassman twitter: "FLOYD-19." He also called an affiliate "delusional" for questioning why CrossFit had been silent on the killing of Floyd by police in Minneapolis. Mr Glassman has now apologised, saying CrossFit "will not stand for racism".
Reebok ended its exclusive 10-year deal as the main CrossFit sponsor and licensee of CrossFit apparel.The sportswear giant said in a statement: “Our partnership with CrossFit HQ comes to an end later this year. Recently, we have been in discussions regarding a new agreement, however, in light of recent events, we have made the decision to end our partnership with CrossFit HQ.”
He said he had been trying to make a point about lockdowns that have been put in place to try to contain the spread of the coronavirus. CrossFit is a company based on a fitness regime developed by Mr Glassman, and is incorporated into gyms across the world. These gyms are run on an affiliate model, paying the main CrossFit company for permission to use the name and regimen.
Professional CrossFit athlete Rich Froning, who has won the CrossFit Games four times, criticised Glassman comments to his 1.4 million Instagram followers, saying the last few days made it “impossible to stay loyal to leadership who make callous statements that alienate and divide in a time when unity is needed.”CrossFit Games champion Tia-Clair Toomey said she was "incredibly saddened, disappointed and frustrated" at the company and Glassman, adding: "My future with Crossfit is unclear and depends on the direction of HQ."Other CrossFit Athletes including last year’s second place competitor, Noah Ohlsen, announced he would not compete in this year’s games.
Seattle-based CrossFit affiliate Jim Rocket CrossFit said it would be disputing with the company, and published a profanity-laden letter from Glassman in a blog post that attacked Jims co-owner Alison Royce, calling CrossFit Said racist.
CrossFit games supplier Rogue Fitness, which provides strength training equipment to the event, said it would remove the CrossFit logo from this year’s event and will “work with CrossFit Games leadership to determine the best path forward.”
What did Greg Glassman say?
It began when the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington tweeted that "racism is a public health issue".
In response, Mr Glassman tweeted "FLOYD-19" - a play on Covid-19, the name of the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Mr. Glassman opened fire for an email he allegedly sent to an affiliate who sought feedback from the company on anti-racism protests in the US.
"I believe quarantine has adversely affected your mental health," she reportedly wrote to the woman, before calling her "delusions". "You think you're more virtuous than us. It's disgusting."
Glassman sparked outrage on Sunday after referring to the death of unarmed black man George Floyd in police custody as ‘It’s FLOYD-19’. His tweet was a direct reply to a post from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation that read: “Racism and discrimination are critical public health issues that demand an urgent response.
Glassman later apologized on the CrossFit twitter page, saying: "I, CrossFit HQ, and the CrossFit community will not stand for racism. I made a mistake by the words I chose yesterday. My heart is deeply saddened by the pain it has caused. It was a mistake, not racist but a mistake.” As of Monday morning, Glassman’s original tweet on his personal account is still live.
